


Bit More than A Workplace Accident

by OhNoMyEdge



Series: Your New Boss [1]
Category: The Lorax (2012)
Genre: Burns, Fire, Gender-neutral Reader, It wouldn't be one of my fanfictions if it didn't have swearing, Learn first aid guys, Other, Pre-Relationship, Saving your boss from a fire, Set in the earlier stages of the Once-ler's success - so the factory is smaller, She still kinda sucks tho, Swearing, The Greed-ler is a facade, The Once-ler's mother?? Being a good parent??, Wow, descriptions of burns
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-01
Updated: 2020-08-01
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:55:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25643143
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OhNoMyEdge/pseuds/OhNoMyEdge
Summary: A factory accident leads to the whole place going up in flames. You, deciding to be the better person, decide to check your boss' office to see if he made it out. He didn't, now you have to rescue both of you.
Relationships: The Greed-ler (The Lorax)/You, The Greedler/Reader, The Once-ler/Reader, The Once-ler/You
Series: Your New Boss [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1858972
Comments: 4
Kudos: 47





	Bit More than A Workplace Accident

**Author's Note:**

> Guess who got back into The Once-ler fandom? Me! yay  
> Think of this fic as a 'middle fic', meaning that I'll write about the before and after of this event. I only wrote this one first because it's the most interesting.

You walked into the breakroom, your boss' coffee request still in your mind. You still weren't quite sure what your job was, you had a sneaking suspicion that your boss didn't really know either. You got him coffee, did some paperwork, delivered papers and instructions to the other workers, you were kind of an everyman - a personal assistant without the title, or the pay. The coffee machine beeped as you pushed the buttons for a black coffee, now wasn't really the time for thinking. 'Less thinking, more working' you had heard your boss' mother say that to the other workers at some point. Stupid woman, who even let her in the factory? Such a prissy and overbaring person had no place in business, you knew that, every other worker knew that, yet your boss let her roam around. You couldn't really say anything, however, she was the boss' mother and you didn't want to get fired.

You tried to shake yourself out of your thoughts as you exited the breakroom, holding your boss' steaming coffee in your hands. This routine had become the norm for you, you could probably do it in your sleep. Mindlessly, you walked throughout the factory towards the grand staircase that led to the third floor, the floor that currently only housed your boss' office and living-quarters. The only time you briefly snapped out of your thoughts was when you dodged another worker, apart from that you were almost in a dazed like state. I mean who could blame you, apart from a few key moments, you found your job quite boring.

You found yourself at the bottom of the grand staircase, no longer intimidated by it's height, and you began to climb it. You may no longer be intimidated by the staircase, but you were intimidated by the hike you had to take up. Everytime it would leave you out of breath. Although, that was probably your own fault for not being in shape, you admitted. As you climbed you felt a rising heat take over you, which caused you to pause. You placed the coffee cup on the railing and wiped your hands on your black slacks. Fuck, when did it get so hot? You braced yourself against the railing and wiped your forehead, you were never good with heat. Maybe you could put in an anonymous suggestion to install air conditioning-

Before you could finish that thought, a loud  **_bang_ ** was heard beneath you. You let out a scream as you held onto the railing, the ground shook threatening to send you flying down the stairs. The fire alarm sounded and you could feel the floor was practically blazing hot now. Screams and shouts rang out below you, you heard the words 'factory', 'explosion', 'fire’, and 'accident'. You put a guess to what had happened. Dozens of people ran towards the exits, frantic and screaming. You were about to join them but your eyes flicked towards you boss' door, you hadn't seen him leave and you were pretty sure he didn't have a fire exit in his office.

Taking a final glance down the stairs you rushed towards your boss', The Once-ler's, office.

You ran towards the giant mahogany door, not stopping to stare at the wondrous detail the door had carved into it. You grabbed the handle and threw open the rather heavy door, an action that would get you fired on a regular day.

"Sir!?" Your shout bounced off of the walls of the extravagant office. "Are you in here?!" You took a glance around the room, not seeing your boss anywhere. You thought that he might have already gotten out and you were just endangering yourself for nothing, but then you saw his familiar black and green hat poking out from behind his desk. You ran behind his desk and saw him unconscious on the floor. You had guessed that he had fallen off his chair in fright when he heard the loud bang. Without hesitation you grabbed him and pulled him up onto your back, totally forgetting about his hat (it would probably be too much trouble to carry it anyway), it was like you were giving him a piggyback. Surprisingly, he was very light and quite easy to carry.

The clock was ticking quickly so you rushed out of the office and tried to locate a possible exit. The only thing that calmed your panic was your boss' quiet breathing that alerted you that he was still alive. You looked around and saw that the building was in a much worse state that you had left it in. Things had been knocked over and thrown around, pictures now lay on the floor, and worst of all, the fire had now spread so it engulfed the staircase. You found that, even though the fire wasn’t near you, you could still feel your skin burning. You didn’t want to go near the staircase and actually feel the fire. You cursed under your breath, the only way out was blocked. You thought that all hope was lost when you spotted a window to your right. You ran to it, being careful not to drop your boss.

The window looked out to the side of the factory, where there was only a large field and a few dumpsters that were next to a backdoor. There were pipes along the side of the building that might be able to support your weight, if you chose to climb down. You looked behind you, not seeing the fire but seeing the thick smoke that indicated that the flames were near, and decided that this would be the only option. You were under a time limit so you didn't have the time to think of a better plan.

"Hold on, Sir, I'll get us out of here." You told your still unconscious boss as you opened the window.

You carefully stepped out onto a large pipe and shut the window behind you. You struggled to stay on the pipe with only one hand, your other being used to keep your boss from falling, but you were determined not to fall three stories to the ground. You looked around the side of the building for a route down. None of the pipes went more than a story down and you didn't think you could safely make a two story fall. To your right you saw, not four metres away, an almost ladder like design on the side of the factory. An odd design choice that you remembered seeing on the factory's front as well. You decided that any design choice that could help you escape imminent death was a good one, so you made your way towards it.

Making your way across the pipes proved to be difficult. They weren't installed properly so they would wobble and creak constantly, making you almost fall a few times. But you persevered by gritting your teeth, keeping a hold of your boss, and moving forward. Once you reached your way down, you gripped onto one of the ledges and swung your legs so they could land on the ledge below. You had climbed down a ladder before, this couldn't be much different.

"Al-Alright Sir, we're going down, brace yourself." You stuttered nervously, acutely aware of the fact that this might be your last day on Earth. Your boss' breathing calmed you, however. You were going to be fine, you'd made it this far.

The ledges were smooth and cold, gripping onto them proved to be difficult, yet you still climbed down. One foot after the other, sometimes letting go of your boss for brief moments to steady yourself. It was difficult and rather tiring but that just made the satisfaction you felt when you reached the bottom even better. You let yourself land on the worn grass, being glad to finally feel solid ground beneath your feet. The coolness of the air almost hurt your face and arms, that probably wasn’t good. But that didn’t matter at the moment, you were out. You felt like you could shout with joy. But it wasn't time for celebrations just yet, you still had your unconscious boss to deal with. 

Stepping a few metres away from the factory wall, you removed your boss from your back and placed him on the damp grass. He looked rather elegant and peaceful laying there, as if he hadn't just come from a burning building. You pressed your head to his chest, his breathing and heartbeat were slower than they should be, but he was still alive. However, he was still unconscious and you didn't know how to wake an unconscious person.

You shook him slightly, "Sir, sir wake up. You're alright now." But he refused to. You looked around worriedly, shouldn't an ambulance, or at least the Fire Department, be here by now?

You shook him harder, "Sir! Please get up!" You became panicked, were you supposed to do CPR? Or just wait for him to wake up?

You refrained yourself from shaking him even more. Instead you checked his heartbeat and breathing again, it had stayed the same. You didn't know if that was a good or a bad thing.

Frantically, you looked around for anyone who could help. Oh, God. Oh, God! Even if he was a bit of a jerk, you didn't want him to die! You dug your fingers into the ground in an attempt to calm yourself. Shit, alright, it's fine. Nobody was around, but it was fine. You could do this.

"Mr Once-ler, please get up!" You tried once again. You thought that it was hopeless, he wasn't going to get up...

But then he started coughing.

The Once-ler rolled over onto his side and coughed and wheezed until he was out of breath. You moved so you could rub his back and help him get all of the gunk and soot out of his throat, you sure as hell felt some in your own. Once he was done he opened his eyes and stared confusingly at the grass below him.

"Where... am I?" He said in a rough whisper, his throat sounded very sore.

"Oh Mr Once-ler, thank God you're alright, you had me so worried." you answered softly, removing your hand from his back.

The Once-ler sat up fully and looked at you with bewilderment. He took off his, now damaged, sunglasses and looked directly into your eyes. It felt like you were truly seeing him for the first time as he spoke softly. "...(Y/n)? What are we doing here?" He looked around and then stared at the side of his factory, "How did we get here? What even happened?..." He rubbed his head with his hand, eyes never leaving the walls of his factory.

It was weird hearing The Once-ler speak so gently. Usually he would ooze confidence and charisma every time he opened his mouth, but not this time. It was nice seeing the real Once-ler. You too spoke softly, as not to freak him out. "There was some sort of workplace accident, a huge fire started. Since I was getting you coffee I was the only one able to get you out." You looked towards the factory as well. "Although, I suggest you install some fire exits for the third floor, I don't wanna have to climb out the window again any time soon." A laugh escaped you, you were still surprised to be alive.

The Once-ler whipped his head around to stare at you in utter disbelief. "You climbed out of the third story window?! Why didn't you just go down the stairs?!" 

You shrugged, rather informally. "The stairs were on fire, and I'm not fireproof. The window was the only option, you didn't make it any easier though."

"I...How?! How are we not dead?" He stared at his hands and wiggled his fingers, probably checking to see if he was actually alive.

"I dunno." You admitted, "I'm just glad we made it."

The Once-ler stopped and turned to look up at you, with eyes full of emotion. It was an unusual expression for your boss to wear. "You saved me, thank you. You didn't have to save me. I could've-should've died back there..." A gentle hand was placed on your shoulder and a warm smile was on his face. "Thank you so much."

You smiled and patted The Once-ler's hand. "Hey, 's alright. I mean-I would've felt like shit if I just left you to die." You felt kinda awkward, you weren't used to being thanked so genuinely. But you tried not to let any of that awkwardness show to your, admittedly kinda-cool, boss.

He moved his hand from your shoulder and mumbled something that you didn't quite catch. You didn't miss the way his mood dampened, if only for a second.

"What did you say? I couldn't hear you."

The Once-ler laughed nervously and waved his hand. "Nevermind."

You cocked an eyebrow at him, the uncharacteristic nervousness made you concerned. However, you decided not to push it, if he didn't want to talk, he didn't have to.

He paused for a moment, looking like he wanted to ask you something. "I...um..." He held out his arms, as if he was holding an imaginary cardboard box. "Can I...uh..." He trailed off, not knowing how to ask for what he wanted.

"Can you...?" You prompted getting a tad more confused and concerned. The change in attitude from his usual self gave you whiplash, it just showed how much he hid from others.

He sighed in frustration and wrapped his arms around you in a tight hug, knocking the air out of you. After you caught your breath, you froze momentarily. You knew that your boss hates physical contact, as was evident by the grimices that overtook his face whenever someone dared to touch him, so him hugging you was a huge surprise. You didn't think you could handle anymore boss-related surprises, you had enough for at least a week. Still, you wrapped your arms securely around him and rubbed circles into his back. His arms wrapped tighter around you and you could feel him quiver. Was he crying?

"Are you alright, Mr Once-ler?" You asked, continuing to rub comforting circles into his back.

He nodded and let out a watery laugh, "Yeah, I am, thanks to you."

"Well that's good." You said, not letting go of him, he sounded like he needed this hug. You tilted your head slightly so you could get a look around the area you were in. "You know, I'm surprised nobody has called the Fire Department yet."

"They probably have, they just take a while to get here since they're stationed so far away." The Once-ler gave out a small chuckle, "I remember I had to call them a year ago when I set the coffee machine on fire." He laughed, "Don't ask how, I'm not even sure how I managed to."

You let out a surprised snort and quickly covered your mouth. "Oh my God, really? Wow, you sure are clumsy. I mean, I guess that explains how you managed to knock yourself out after presumably falling off of your chair."

The Once-ler pulled back quickly and looked at you, a disbelieving smile of his face. His eyes were red, he  _ was  _ crying before. "I didn't knock myself out. I don't even remember doing it!"

You laughed, glad that his mood had improved. It was surprising how easy it was to have such a conversation with your boss. "You don't remember 'cause you were knocked out, that's how being unconscious works. Also, if you didn't knock yourself out, what were you doing? Were you taking your scheduled nap time?" You finished with a teasing tone, crossing your arms. 

He scoffed, crossing his own arms. "Even a businessman as great as myself needs their beauty sleep."

Both of you broke out into joyful laughter, a pleasant happiness settling over the both of you. It was nice. You thought that it was a shame that The Once-ler kept so much of himself hidden away from others, but you could understand why. A happy and joyful personality would only be taken advantage of in business.

Your laughter was interrupted by loud sirens in the distance, they no doubt belonged to the Fire Department and an Ambulance.

"Well," You said standing up, "We should probably get going before people assume we're dead or somethin'." You offered your hand out to The Once-ler and smiled. The Once-ler took your hand and pulled himself up with your assistance. You took note of the fact that he was only a couple inches taller than you, his hat often made you think he was much taller than he actually was. The hat which you had left in a burning building... Whoops...

He sighed, "Yeah, probably. They're probably going to lambast me for not having fire exits on the top floor." He smiled sadly, "I'll have to phone up the company that built this place, get them to install fire exits, after they've repaired the building of course. Replace all the machinery and find out who caused the accident. Ugh, I have so much to do..." He rubbed his forehead and sighed tiredly.

You gave the man a sympathetic smile, "I'm sorry you have to do all of that. But hey, I bet time will fly by and it'll be done before you know it. Trust me I-"

**_"Oncie!"_ ** Your comforting words were interrupted by an ungodly feminine screech. The Once-ler's mother rushed towards the both of you, arms spread out wide. "I've been looking everywhere for you, I was so worried!" The woman's voice sounded genuine yet detached, you didn't like it.

The Once-ler looked startled for a moment before putting on a calm and collected expression. He put on his damaged sunglasses and turned to greet his mother. "There was no need to worry, mother, I'm quite alright." There was a hint of disdain in his voice as he spoke to her.

You frowned, the real Once-ler had gone back into hiding. You gave a subtle glare at his mother. Bitch.

"Oh but you look awful, Oncie!" His mother wailed, "And what are you even doing out here all alone!?" She waved her hands around, flicking her long hair out of her eyes. It seemed like she didn't even notice you were here.

The Once-ler gave you a side glance, "Well, my lovely assistant(?) here found me unconscious and carried me to safety, risking their life in the process." He pat you briefly on the shoulder and gave you a smile that still had some emotion behind it

His mother looked you up and down for a brief moment before lunging at you, giving you what seemed to be a hug. "Oh thank you dearie! Thank you so much! I don't know what I would've done if my dear Oncie got hurt!" She shook you like a young child would shake a teddy.

You tensed up and pat the crazy lady on her back, "It's alright ma'am." You responded with a forced smile on your face. You looked towards The Once-ler and saw him cringe and mouth the word 'Sorry' at you. You smiled at him and shrugged.

His mother pulled away from you, "Oh let's get you two to the ambulance, you both look in pretty bad shape." She dashed off towards the front of the factory, "Come on!"

You looked down at your arms and felt your face. Just as you guessed, burn marks littered them both, you just hadn't seen them due to all of the panic. You poked a rather large mark on your arm and saw it bubble and move, it had already started blistering. You winced a bit.

"Hey," The Once-ler said a couple of steps ahead of you, "stop that, you make them worse." You pulled your fingers away from your burns. "Now come on, you  _ really  _ don't want to keep her waiting." The Once-ler grimaced as he turned to look at his mother who was a few metres away.

You nodded, yeah you didn't want to feel the wrath of her. You had to admit, she was a bit scary. You walked so you were beside The Once-ler, the both of you setting off towards the front of the factory.

At the factory's front you saw multiple Fire Trucks and ambulances and even a police car. Damn, this was more serious than you originally thought. One of the officers walked over to the three of you and he started talking with the Once-ler and his mother. Boring legal stuff, you presumed. You stared down at your arms again, wondering if you should get someone to take a look at them. They hurt pretty bad and they looked dreadful, but you didn't really know much about burns. Task number one for when you get home, research a bunch about first aid so you are better equipped for next time. Well, if there was a next time. Task number two, you looked down at your damaged clothes, get some new work clothes. You nodded to yourself, easy. Now, you just had to get home.

You looked towards The Once-ler and saw that he had finished up his talk with the officer. He now seemed to be trying to find a way to politely tell his mother to fuck off and bother someone else. You snorted at that. Eventually she resented and walked off.

The Once-ler turned towards you and sighed in frustration, which caused you to laugh. "Don't laugh at my pain, I've dealt with enough today."

"Sorry." You ceased your laughter.

He sighed again, "It's fine." He met your gaze, "You should probably go see the paramedic if you don't want your burns to get infected. They do look pretty bad..."

You waved him off, "Nah, I'll be fine-"

"(Y/n)," He cut you off, "Just trust me on this, you're going to want to get them treated."

"Okay, fine, fine." You rolled your eyes, though he was probably right. You turned towards the paramedic, who was talking to one of your coworkers. "See you later, Mr Once-ler." You turned back to wave at him. 

The Once-ler smiled, " Just call me Once-ler." He said, looking around to see if anyone was listening. "Thank you again, you're a real lifesaver."

You smiled back at him, "It's alright Once-ler, don't mention it." You waved once again at him and he waved back.

You watched him walk away with interest. You knew that today would be a significant moment in your life, it just felt so much different than any other day. You wouldn't remember this day as the day of the factory fire, you would remember this day as the day you started to really get to know your boss. The day you truly met The Once-ler.

**Author's Note:**

> Ahh that got a cheesy at the end, but what's a fanfic without some cheese?  
> RIP Once-ler's hat, I should tag it as major character death just for that
> 
> Feel free to check my Tumblr, where I will be posting more Once-ler stuff:  
> https://ohnomyedge.tumblr.com/


End file.
